Find MASN on your cable or satellite provider.

Nobody seems to be mentioning Patton any more. What's happening with him?
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10 earned runs and 24 hits in 17 1/3 innings with Norfolk. 1-2 with a 5.19 ERA. - Roch

Hernandez threw 73 strikes out of 107 pitches. That is amazing for a rookie. Looks like the days of 7 to 8 walks a game are behind us finally. With Tillman pitching the way he is right now, Berken better throw a 1 hit complete game shutout today!

If Hill is out of options, do you think we could trade him? He shows signs of being effective, but overall his control is just too shaky. In the AL East, you cannot afford to be so wild, i.e. D-Cab. Maybe we can get an infield prospect for him?

Another note, how about R. Lopez pitching a great game for the Phillies last night!? I always wondered what happened to that guy, the last I heard he was with the Rockies a few years ago. Roch, did he disappear to the minors or the Mexican League or something?
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He was injured. The Braves signed him and then released him in November 2008, and he signed a minor league deal with the Phillies. - Roch

Roch,

Another one of your favorite PTBNL questions. I've heard that a lot of PTBNL's are agreed upon at the time of the deal, but the name can't be released for a variety of reasons.

With Rich Hill, I've heard that the caliber of compensation will be based on his level of performance- because no one know's if we'll get the 2007 under 4.00 ERA Hill or the 2009 over 7.00 ERA Hill. Do you know how it will work? Will it be based on the number of starts he makes; His ERA, etc.

Assuming they have agreed on the performance measurement, is there a player or list of players from which the Cubs can choose for each level? At this point there's not a lot of guys on the 40 man roster I'd want to give up for him.

Just curious how this works.
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It hasn't been that clearly defined. I only know that if it's a player, and not cash, it'll likely be a low-level type. Even if Hill won 20 games, the Orioles weren't going to surrender a top prospect. There was a ceiling on how high they'd have to go. This was an extremely low-risk transaction. - Roch

Roch, I'm on the left coast and so it's still kind of early, esp. for it being Saturday, but I'm kind of confused about your views of Palmeiro. You write, "Rafael Palmeiro has resurfaced, and he's still claiming that his positive test for steroids in 2005 was the result of a tainted B-12 shot.
I didn't believe it before, and I'm certainly not convinced now. But in the back of my mind, I'll always wonder." Are you saying that you didn't believe his denials back then and don't believe his denial now, or are you saying that you didn't believe back then that he'd knowingly taken steroids and still don't believe that he took them knowingly?
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Good morning. I'm saying I'm still not convinced that his positive test was the result of a tainted B-12 shot, but given what has happened since then with Tejada, I'll always wonder in the back of my mind. - Roch

Orange Crayon Jesus... thanks for being a voice of reason around here. Your observations about Oscar Salazar are bang on... though I do believe there are subtle differences between fielding your position in the Majors versus Triple-A. I have to believe the differences in the sizes of the stadiums, trajectory of the lights, or even how hard a ball is hit can have an impact. It would make for an interesting study.

And I have to admit I was most impressed with your usage of an equal sign with a diagonal line through it (does not equal)... very creative.

And another shout out to fellow countryman BC Mike out there on the left coast for his prediction on Hernandez' pitching line last night.

Happy 233rd birthday to all of my friends south of the border, and BTW, .233 also happens to be Geronimo Gil's lifetime batting average with the Orioles.

Hill would be a great NL pitcher. A Hill, Scott package could bring the O's a few prospects.

I feel bad for Berken. It seems he has alot on him now. He may need a break to help out.

Am I wrong on this?

So there saying Tillman could come up if Berken gets rocked again?
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Not necessarily if he gets rocked tonight, but Tillman appears to be the next pitcher coming up at some point. Just a matter of when. - Roch

morning ROCH. happy 4th to u. any tennis this morning? is there a different e-mail address to ask u a question not ORIOLE related? thanx,,go O'S,,,,,
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Just watched the women's final. Try me at rkubatko@masnsports.com. Let me know if that doesn't work. - Roch

Rafael Palmeiro was my favorite player and I believe him! I dont think he would of pointed his finger in front of congress if he was guilty!! I believe tejada did what Raffy said. Raffy never looked like a steroid user. He wasnt that muscular bulked up player. It is an unfortunate happening because he does belong in the hall of fame! I agree why would he take something like that and jeopardize his career and the hof. I hope that list is exposed and i hope isnot is not on it. A GREAT PLAYER!! bERKEN REALLY NEEDS A GREAT OUTING!! Is there something wrong with JJ? Two awful outings in a row!

Let's hope Andrew's caddy's cell phone is working this weekend. He needs to be calling other GMs trying to move some of these guys for younger, MLB ready talent.

I have said it before and I will say it again: Huff is not coming back. No way he commits to another 2-4 years of losing, inept managing, and an incompetent front office that bets season after season on guys like Pie, Hill, Eaton and Hendrickson.

Huff will be one of the better hitters on the market this offseason and could command $10m per year if GMs continue to throw around stupid money.

Besides, we've seen how slow ANdrew is on the free agent market. He'll just be starting to dial Huff's agent's number by the time Huff has signed a new deal somewhere else.

Andrew needs to be trying to deal this guy. Maybe throw Pie in as a bonus package to secure an extra minor league arm or position player.

Roch, you going to give us your men's final prediction?

I like Fed in three sets, although he'll need seven games to win in at least two of the sets. Roddick's serve has gotten a lot better so he'll be hard to break, but Federer always finds a way to get the job done. And he owns Roddick at Wimbledon.

Too bad we didn't get another Federer-Nadal epic final, but it should still be a good match.
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Fed in 4. - Roch

Roch,
I transplanted from the South three years ago and am yet to find a Waffle House in the Baltimore area. Where can i go for scattered, smothered, covered, and chunked?
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Sounds like the last four girls I dated. But seriously... The only one I go to is in Fort Lauderdale, near the stadium. Good question. I can't even remember seeing one around here. Bob Evans rocks, but it's too classy! - Roch

Brummie,

Come on man, do you really believe what you type here? Huff is not going to command 10 mil per season. If Bobby Abreau is signed for 5 a season, what makes you think Huff is going to get 10? Those types of signings are gone for people in Huffs range. He isn't going to be here in 4 years true. But, we very well might resign him for a modest 2. Brandon Snyder is in need of a full season at triple A, so next year we wont see him in the bigs. What you need to realize is that the Orioles are not banking on players like Eaton, Hendrickson, Hill, or Pie. You seem to misunderstand exactly what rebuilding is. You probably were one of those people who thought the last 12 years was flawless because we went out and signed free agents. You obviously missed the point that because we did that our farm system has suffered and we had no talent coming up into the league. We were stuck with mediocrity. Now, we have some serious talent coming into its own sooner rather than later. You have to believe man. And bashing Andy is just plain dumb. We took flyers on guys like Hill and Pie because why not, our minor leaguers weren't ready at the time, and they both were said to have some upside. We all knew this season would be a drag, but your complete ignorance to that fact is shocking and I pity you because you seem to lack the power to think outside of the concrete wall you seemingly stare at. Trust the plan. Let this year play out. You'll see tillman soon. We have already become a better team then last year. Small steps forward are better than none at all.

Roch, did you see how Huff watched, and did not run, after hitting his 3-run homer? The ball landed in the first row of outfield seats! He got very lucky and escaped a day-long bashing in the blogosphere for his lack of hustle...

Bonus Huff gripe: Please, Aubrey, please stop one-hand swinging at sweeping 85 mph sliders 2 feet outside of the plate.

Happy fourth!

Brummie-- I disagree I think Huff should stay and I think he would! As far as those other signings hendrickson etc just to fill roster spots til our young guys get here!! Why would you sign expensive free agents and block our future! One more thing on Palmeiro why would he need steroids at the point of his career? Already had 3000 hits and over 500 homeruns! The b-14 is what i feel he shouldnt of taken!! Heard tejada took the same thing!! raffy's was tainted the whole thing just doesnt make sense. Mcguire, sosa, bonds and even manny i can see!! I guess we will never know for sure!!

Jeff T, Abreau didn't have the best contract year, Huff has been solid this year and last. Someone thinking they are one veteran bat away from the WS could very well throw $10m at him. Just my opinion, but I think he'll find a decent market and I think he'll want to go to a contender, not a constant re-builder.

Is anyone else going to wish Ole Pete a happy 80th birthday?

Let's hope Andrew got him something nice!

I always laugh at Dummie_Oriole's disdain for "Andrew." It just makes me wonder why this clown doesn't apply for the job himself. And how does this moron know "Andrew" is out golfing? If MacPhail is as committed as us real fans thinks he is, we all know he IS in fact working the phones and attempting to get any deal done. It is nice to know MacPhail has not done any moves out of panic, and has gotten us some good prospects in return. It is a good feeling we don't have a guy like Dummie running our front office. Then again, he hates the Orioles, so why would he?

Brummie is just dumb as an onion.

jeff t:
that's what i've been thinking for a while but wasn't sure how to put it into words....
i had almost given up on reading comments on these blogs until now.
thanks

Jeff T -

No sense in even going there with Dummie_Oriole. He just spews the same nonsense. I doubt anyone gives 10 mil per yr to Huff either. And not in the latter stages of his career. What the trolls just don't seem to get, is that since Andrew has been here, our farm system looks healthy. We actually have depth. Most of us would agree that MacPhail is not the top GM in the game. But he isn't at the bottom of the dog pile either. See, the trolls can drum the same crap all the time about tee times and bottom lines, but the reality that escapes those two numskulls is that in 2007, what GM with a reputation would have considered taking over this franchise given the past 10 years? Ah, that would be the likes of Syd Thrift, Beatty, and Flannaquette. And all those FA signings really worked out for us didn't they!

For our trolls, you need to see the forest through the trees. And no one has ever accused you two of having vision. But let's say MacPhail builds a solid foundation, keeps stocking the farm system, and Ole Pete decides that allowing a good baseball man to run his team drives up the value of the franchise. See ANDREW would like to follow in the footsteps of dear old dad. Then perhaps we get the opportunity to hire a top tier GM, who brings in his manager, and suddenly things look a whole lot different. But in the mean time, the trolls will keep spreading their fertilizer.

Whether or not he pitches well tonight, this very well could be and should be Berken's last start. Here's why. He wouldn't be due to pitch again until Friday against Toronto. With all the consternation about who goes(Pie or Salazar) when Itzturis comes back(supposedly at the start of the Toronto series), Berken would be the easy out. Skip his turn, send him down, and you have 12 more days to burn before you need a fifth starter again on July 21st against the Yankees in New York. Gives management extra time to filter out which position player goes when necessary or more time for an injury and a trip to the DL for someone.

adambama...
There's a Waffle House on RT 80 in Urbana, MD between I 270 and Rt. 355. That's probably a long way from where you live unless you're in Frederick or Montgomery Co.

Chlemma Chlennay!

Roch-
OK, I know Brob doesn't bust down the line on routine plays, but last night w/ 2 outs he didn't bust it down the line on a grounder short w/ runners on 1st and 2nd, 2 outs. The SS pumped to 2nd, but stopped because the play at 2b would have been close, and threw to 1b where Brob was loafing (sorry Brob, but that's what it looked like) down the line, and out by 10 feet.
Did you see that or was I just seeing things? I was pretty stunned.
Is this what you get when you get for $40 mil?

July 4th is Steinbrenner's birthday. Which I really dont care! But, is it not Mr Angelos too???

I'm heading over to Gwinnett with the family this afternoon - my first time there and wanted to see the Tides while they're in my area. The Tides' website says Patton is the probable today. I'm looking forward to seeing him and the rest of the crew. Maybe Snyder will make some fireworks of his own tonight. Should be fun.

There are Waffle Houses in Bel Air, Belcamp, Edgewood, Frederick, and Havre de Grace. We eat the Frederick one most often, just off Rt. 70 West.

Click on the link to see them all in Maryland!

http://hosted.where2getit.com/wafflehouse/index.html?form=locator_search&addressline=21222&search=Search%20Maps

I saw a snippet of the Palmeiro interview, and it was pretty lame stuff. He said something along the lines of, "I didn't need to cheat, and why would I cheat at that point in my career?" Well, here's why you might decide to cheat, Raffy: You were on the downhill of your career, and closing in on 3,000 hits, which is pretty automatic for the Hall of Fame. That's a pretty big incentive. But did the ESPN yutz reporter push him on that? No. He said nothing, and let Raffy ramble on and on and on. It's pathetic how ESPN even pretends to be practicing a journalism of some sort. And every busted athlete thinks they're Lance Armstrong, persecuted by invisible enemies. It's getting pretty old.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY, I HOPE THE O'S DON'T TRADE HUFF OF SCOTT THEY ARE POWER HITTERS AND THE O'S NEED THEM TO COMPETE. ALSO BEFORE I SEND BERKINS DOWN I WISH THEY WOULD RELEASE HILL HE HAS PITCHED HORRIBLE OF LATE. I AM ANXIOUS TO SEE TILMAN COME TO THE BIGS TO SEE WHAT HE HAS. ALSO QUESTION FOR YOU ROCH, WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MIGGY ABREU SS FROM BOWIE HE HAD A GOOD YEAR LAST YEAR AND IS HAVING A GOOD YEAR AGAIN. I HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD HOLIDAY.

I have been very disappointed in brob's hustle all year. Even some plays at second that he has bobbled and didnt get the out. Not counting his anemic and inconsistent hitting. He acts like he just going through the motions. There is no fire there like before!!

I don't think Berken is on as short a rope as Hill because at least Berken has some durability. You can't just throw the towel in on young guy after a handful of starts. Berken's part of the future even if it's a bullpen role. Hill's not going to get any better than he is now.I don't know the numbers off hand but I don't think Berken's getting very good run support.Now if they trade Baez and move Berken in his role and bring Tillman up, I wouldn't have a problem with that.I'm kind of hoping that Zaun pitches tonight to see if it makes a difference with Berken.

Saw a clip of RoLo's start last night in Philly and he really looked good but it looked like he tacked on quite a few pounds.Also Jerry Hairston is playing a heck of a third base for the Reds.

Mmmmmm smothered & covered.

Happy 4th Birdland.

I strongly believe that the Ghost of Chico Salmon is responsible not only for Raffy's positive test, but also for introducing both Clemens and Tejada to steroids. I don't think he has any connection with Bonds though. I'll have to do more independent research on the matter.

Brummie-

Here is Abreu's "contract" year you seem to say was so abismal-
156 684 609 100 180 39 4 20 100 22 11 73 109 .296 .371 .471 .843 120 287

thats 156 games played, 684 plate apperances, 609 at bats, 100 runs scored, 180 hits, 39 doubles, 4 triples, 20 homers, 100 rbis, 22 stolen basis (11 CS), 73 BBs, 109 SO, 296 avg, 371 OBP, 471 Slugging, 843 OPS. He had a horrible contract year FOR SURE. You think someone who had a 100 rbi season hitting a tick under 300 with almost a 400 on base percentage isn't a worthy contract gainer? The economy is dictating that these older players don't get signed to longer contracts. Huff will be lucky to get a 2 year deal for 5 mil a piece. He may hit over 20 homers, but he may not get to 100 rbis. He certainly isnt going to steal as many basis, or walk as much. I'd say Huff is in line for 5 mil a season since he seems pretty comparable to Abreu. Thanks for playing this game. You need to do your research before you make alegations.

Baseball is a difficult sport, as you know, but why let go of a player who can consistently drive in close to 100 runs a year? Were you against having a professional hitter type like Harold Baines when he was here? Thats what Huff is a professional hitter. Until Snyder shows he is ready for the majors, why just let that potential 100 rbis leave? I don't see how that makes sense. You want to trade Huff, and I can see why, but what team is going to give us what we want? The mets have zero trade chips that would interest the Orioles, the brewers will never part with Alicades Escobar, there just isn't a good market for him, so it makes no sense to just pull the trigger. Come on man, you talk like you know baseball so well, but when it comes under fire you loose out completely. I think you just rip andy macphail, angelos, and the orioles underachieving players because you have nothing else to do.

Brummie,

Just so you know there is an old axiom that states "as much business gets done on the golf course as in the boardroom" so honestly, if I were AM, and it was a nice day I'd keep my phone on vibrate and hit the links too. I might even invite Mike Rizzo out too.

There are 3 waffles house in the greater frederick area
1) on rt 80 in urbana
2) on 85 in front of the days inn
3) off of 70 on south street next to the fractured prune....which if you enjoy the doughnut is a must

Not quite sure why Hernandez gets a pass and Berken is on the hot seat.

Hernandez
WHIP 1.65
BAA .308

Berken
WHIP 1.62
BAA .300

Hill
WHIP 1.80
BAA .288

Hendriscksen
WHIP 1.64
BAA .302

All of these numbers don't cut it for starters. Going by WHIP adn BAA Berken has similar numbers to Hernandez. Frankly, I'd give a longer leash to Berken than Hill. Hill is 3 years older than Berken and is a one pitch pitcher with poor control adn a higher ERA. Why do these Cub rejects always seem to get a pass? Hill's - Out of options? Who cares? He's an older pitcher with ontrol problems who isn't likely to improve. If you're 29 and can't get the ball over the plate consistently - maybe it's time to cut and run. We did that with DCab. Hill's performance and ERA are much worse.

Congrats to Rodrigo Lopez last night. Always thought he'd still be a good long man in the pen.

Also I wouldn't mind Garret Olson's 1.23 WHIP and .249 BAA for Seattle right now. Outperforms all of the above Oriole pitchers above this year and outperforms Guthrie as well. Stupid trade.

It is people like Brummie Oriole that make me question the intelligence of Oriole fans. Last year Bobby Abreu had 180 hits, batted .296, had 39 doubles, 20 homers, and 100 RBIs. Although he has lost a few steps over the past few years, he still has one of the most impressive outfield arms in baseball to make him at least an above average right fielder. I will not take anything away from Aubrey Huff because I love what he has done the past year and a half, but please do not make us Oriole fans seem like complete morons by making a post that Aubrey Huff is putting up better numbers than Bobby Abreu did last year. Huff is now on pace to get 166 hits, 35 doubles, 23 homers, 114 RBIs, and hit .273. Those are very respectable numbers, but that does not earn him 10 million dollars a year as opposed to Abreu's 5. This is just another ignorant comment that none of us need to read. I feel ashamed to call myself the fan of the same team as you everytime I read anything you have to write. You give everyone here a bad name. PLEASE Brummie Oriole, go waste your time commenting on someone else's board!

Roch,

Palmiero was my hero growing up. I was kid when he was first with the O's and I loved watching him and Cal and Moose and all those guys. When he came back when I was a teenager I was ecstatic. So you can imagine how crushed I was when I heard he failed the test.

I always wished he been more vocal, but he just kind of faded away. Now that he's made this statement prior to being inducted in the College Baseball Hall of Fame, I'm wondering again whether he might be telling the truth.

Remember, at the time he said Tejada gave him a tainted B-12 shot and everyone couldn't believe he would call out Tejada. Canseco even said Palmiero wasn't a user and even though Jose Canseco is a Grade-A POS, he hasn't been wrong yet, has he? Plus it came out two years later that Tejada really was using and not only that, lying about other things.

So what if, by some stretch, Palmiero is telling the truth. I mean really think about it, by the time he tested positive he was going for 3,000 hits, he had the home runs locked up, you don't need to juice to get a handful of balls over the second baseman's head. He also never "got big" like a lot of players did: Big Mac, Bonds, Sosa, Canseco. And he's looks the same as when he played now, unlike Macgwire who looks like he's shrunk. The only difference I saw in him was that he had a beard now and he's gained some gray hairs.

I mean, we all pretty much believed Roberts when he said he tried it once and made a mistake and Segui backed him up, what if that 2003 list actually comes out and Palmiero isn't on it. Do we believe him or does he forever have a shadow over him because of a positive test.

Just curious as to your thoughts.

Kyle
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I never understood why Palmeiro would knowingly take a substance, so easily detected, as he approached 3,000 hits. As if he wanted to get caught. Never made sense to me. But a tainted B-12 shot? I didn't buy that, either. I honestly don't know. I never wanted to believe it was true. He certainly doesn't have the "steroid body," but neither does Manny Alexander, and wasn't he in the Mitchell Report? - Roch

Waffle House has locations in Bel Air, Havre de Grace and Edgewood. We always hit on eon the way back from the kids' swim meets in Harford County heading back down to Salisbury.

And B_O, Huff's gonna resign. He actually WANTS to be here. Didn't you read his Spring Training quote where he said he'd shoot himself in the head if he left the O's and they made the playoffs like the Rays did after he left?

He wants to be here, he's relatively cheap for the production, and the O's shed even more payroll in this off-season as the entire starting rotation next year (I'm figuring Hill will be cut loose), the entire bullpen, and 7 of the 9 batting order positions are locked up for at least 2 years with just 1B and 3B to fill with free agents. And Huff might even give a small horse---- town, uh, I mean, hometown discount. No reason not to resign him.

Bill G has got the closest Waffle House (unfortunately) to BMore. Somewhere off the Northern Virginia Memorial Parking Lot there's another, too, but I can't specifically place it. Anyone ever go to a Waffle House with a "newbie" and hear them order french fries? Mortifying. The kind of shame that won't go away. You want to slide over at least two chairs at the bar, or move to a different booth. Ever see college kids studying in a Waffle House? Awesome.

A lot of folks seem to comprehend that Salazar makes waivers much easier than Pie, because of the way things go (no more complicated logic than that), but I like Ray's strategy (although we would all prefer Berken to be lights out and make us send down Salazar anyway).

As the weather has warmed, George (Sherrill) has been reminding me of one of my favorite Simpsons moments (choo-choo-choose): Moe the bartender is dating a character, voice by Helen Hunt. Moe and Helen Hunt join Marge and Homer on a double date. Marge asks Helen Hunt:

Marge: "You reallly seem to have taken a shine to Moe. Do you mind if I ask why?"
Helen Hunt: "...He just has this insecure, sweaty charm."
Homer: "Oh yeah, I got that."

Happy 4th everybody! Sorry, Brummie, no love for the English today. I'll save the signature I'm using for all my other 4th of July emails, cause Roch can't post it anyway. But it involves the British and what ought be done to them, on such an occasion...

Happy Fourth of July Roch.

Keep up the good work. Your blog increases my enjoyment when the O's win and eases the pain of even the worst loses. I should be careful what I say as the govenment may require a prescription if they get wind of this.

I've always liked Rafael Palmeiro and was very disappointed when he tested positive. I still hold out hope that it was something inadvertant. After viewing the interview I think I beleive him. He has just as much gray in his beard as I do and I never took steroids.

Bill G.
I was at the game last nite and remember the play you referred to. It looked like Brob was a little slow getting out of the box, but he seemed to run hard after that.

Ray:
Your sinerio(sp?) sounds good, but Trembley will always use his 5th starter, even with the off days. I have been posting about this all year, it drives me nuts! Even when Eaton was here, he would never skip the 5th pitchers spot. I blame a lot of Guthrie's problems on that issue alone. Guthrie needs to pitch every 5 days, especially at the beginning of the year, to get and stay sharp. Why Trembley kept pushing him back just to get Eaton's start in, I'll never understand. But I wouldn't expect him to start skipping the 5th guy now.

You guys are just wasting your time with Dummie_Oriole, he's an idiot, and you can't reason with an idiot. You should just read his post to get the comedic value, then ignore him and move on.

Go Orioles!

There's a Waffle House on Rte.543 in Bel Camp, and another on Rte.1 in Bel Air

Anymore ridiculous statistical comparisons Brummie.Just make it up as you go along moron.

After last night, can we get David Hernandez a big boy uniform number? He's not a left tackle, he's not a Czech defenseman, and it's no longer spring training. He's going to be here a while, and hopefully he's going to pitch more games similar to last night. It's time to get him a better uniform number. Numbers 24 and 32 are available now since Castillo and Walker were dismissed.

Also, any word on how Sarfate's recovery from his circulation problems is going?

Just read the comments now, hopefully this won't get lost in the jumble; but there is a Waffle House out near the Frederick Keys stadium. You could certainly go on a Sunday morning and finish up in time to catch a 1:05 game while you're down there.

I believe there are also some out in Western MD, if you're ever htere for one reason or another.

Roch:

Any thought of making Hill a situational lefty and moving Matusz or Patton up as a lefty starter?
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I asked Trembley about Hill for his video journal and he said Hill's control isn't good enough at the moment for him to enter a game in the middle of an inning with runners on base. Not enough of a strike thrower right now. And Matusz isn't coming up this season. - Roch

I have a very hard time believing Palmeiro. I thought it was telling how he was so willing to defend Manny, no matter what.

Tillman was awesome last night. I was hoping he'd pitch a complete game, but as soon as he walked a batter, everyone know he was doomed to be taken out. He walked off to a well-deserved standing ovation though. Now I see why the O's commentators are always gushing about him. It was fun seeing Moeller catch too.

Roch,

I know it's late on this post, but I know you'll still read it.

The Mitchell Report wasn't compiled from steroid tests if I remember right, it was compiled from questioning other players and people in the know. I really do want to see those 2003 test results. If everyone was tested and then that would be a strong determining factor for me.

I agree, taking a B-12 shot sounds like a pretty convenient excuse, not to mention, how could he pin-point it to one B-12 shot that Tejada gave him once, or maybe a handful of times? I don't know, maybe he's not being truthful about how it happened, but I don't know, it just never made sense to me. He never looked the part, never acted the part, and I just don't see a motive. Not to mention, who else (and who in their right mind if they were using would) came out and said vehemently, before Congress no less, that they never used steroids - period?

I hope he didn't do it, but like I said, nothing and no-one surprises me anymore. I can't imagine what it must be like to be a player now and constantly have that doubt hanging in the air whether i used or not. I'm also glad I just take the photos, you guys having to ask the question every time an allegation comes up is one of the top reasons I stayed away from the writing side.

Kyle